I create routes mostly during the winter for projected cruises and passages. I do this to familiarize myself with the charts at a particular area, plot bail out harbors and danger bearings.
In real time I never program the autopilot to go to anything other than go to a waypoint --which may not be on my plotted line. I like to look at the chartplotter to see what my pre-planned known safe route is (which is shown as a pencil line in a color I can determine, compute etas and the like. Maybe I'm doing what you do?